Float valve



July 29, 1924. 1,503,433 R. R. SHAFFER ET AL A I FLOAT VALVE Filed aan. so. 192s Marin,

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Patented July 29, 1924i.

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list-amc RoBnrtTn. iSHAJFER AND JAMES E. SHAFFER, 0F CRAWFORDSVILLE, IOWA. y*

r'LOATvALvE.

Application flied January 3o, 1923. sei-iai 1\r0..e15,a91.Y y

To all whom t may concer/n.'

Be it known that we, ROBERT R. SHAFFER and JAMES F. SHAFFER, citizens of the United States, residing at Crawfordsville,

in the county of Washington and .Stateof Y Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Float Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to iioat valves forstockwatering and other tanks, and has for its 'object the kprovision of an automatically operated valve whereby the flow of water into the tank will be controlled by the level of the water therein. One object of the invention to provide a valve of such construction that its parts may be readily separated if it should get out' of order, and another object of theinventioir is to provide a valve of such simple construction that it is` 'not apt to get out of order. Other incidental objects of the invention will appear in the course" of the following description.

Inlthe accompanying drawing: Y,

Figure 1 is anelevationfofour improved valve showing the same in position within a tank;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the valve viewed at a right angle to Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the Valve taken on the lineL 3-23 Vof Fig. 2.

The tank 1 may be of any desiredv form and dimensions. It may also be constructed of any preferred material and will, of course, be water-tight. Through the bottom of the tank extends a water supply pipe` 2 and at thc upper end of the said pipe is fitted thereto a nozzle 3, in the upper extremity of which is secured a nipple 4 which projects vertically from the nozzle and the discharge from which is controlled by our improved valve. The upper eXtremity of the nozzle 3 is reduced so as to providean annular shoulder 5 and, resting on said shoulder, a clamp collar 6 is secured about the end of the nozzle. This clamp collar is so disposed' about the nozzle that its split is located at the side' more remote from the center of the tank and a clamping screw or bolt 7 is inserted through the split ends, as will be readily understood. At the opposite side of the nozzle, lugs 8 are provided upon the upper edge of the collar, and a fork 9 is arranged to span the said lugs and the Vnipple 4 and is pivoted to the lugs by cap screws 10, as will be readily understood. The stem ofthe fork 9 is provided with a threaded bore 11, in which is received one end ofthe"A float lever 12 which extends from `the forkN intothe tank Aand carries afloat 13 at its` f free end so that the lever and theA fork 9 will be rocked Vabout the fpivots 10 as the float rises or falls with the level of the water- -in the tank. Pivotally attached to the ends i Y of the fork 9 are the lower ends ofvlinks 14 which have their upper ends pivotally mounted on bosses 15 disposed at diametrically'opposite points of the'valvecap 16. Y.

The said cap 16 vis constructed with Van an-k nularly enlarged body portion'having out-V Y.

let openings 17 in its under side and a Ycen-V` A* tral tubular stem 18 whichjfits closely but greater than the external diameter of Vthe n1pple`4 and is constructed with ankinternal `annularshoulder 19 upon which rests a gas- Y slidably about the nipple 4. Theupper'sde Vor end of the cap 16 has an internal ldiameter ket orwasher-20 adapted to extend acrossgl andrest upon the upper end' of the nipple.'

of the water in the tank reaches the desired height.

When the tank is filled, the float 13 is in an upper position and the float lever 12 is in vthe position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the fork 19 being thereby disposed so that the ends thereof are below the pivots and the links 14 are consequently drawn downwardly. In this position, the cap will be held against the end of the nipple 4 with the washer or gasket 20 resting thereon and the inflow of water will be positively arrested. As the water is used, the float will, of course7 descend and the float lever will consequently be rocked so that an upward movement will be imparted to the links 14 through the fork 9 and consequently the cap will be lifted from the end of the nipple, the water then being permitted to rise through the nipple and overflow the up-r per end thereof to escape through the discharge opening 17 in the bottom of the cap and so pass into the tank.

It will be readily noted that we have pro- 4 inthe closed position of thevalve soastoV soifvided a valve of very simple construction and anyl one part mayl be repaired or replaced without requiring replacement of any other part. Most of the wear,` if not all of the wear, is obviously upon the gasket or washer 20. In order to replace thisy gasket, itis necessary Vmerely to cut off the flow of water at the controlling valve which may be disposed at any convenient point between the nozzle 8 and the point of supply, after which the plug 21 is withdrawn from the cap, the wornA out washer taken out and a new washer placed therein upon the shoulder 19. The plug 21 is then returned to its place and the water again turned 0n. The pivotal connections are preferably all cap screws so that they may be readily withdrawn when any one part needs replacement and the entire valve may be removed from the supply pipe by inerely withdrawingthe clamping screw 7 and then lifting the collar 6 and the other elements as an entirety from the nozzle. The links 14 are disposed at dianietrically opposite sides of the inlet nipple and are pivotally attached to the cap at points connected by a line passing through the axis of the cap and the nipple so that the movement of the cap upon the nipple will be rectilinear and lateral movement will be prevented so that bending of the parts will be avoided. This result is further insured by the provision of the tubular stem 18 which constitutes a guide for the movement of the cap upon the nipple, as will be clear from thevdrawing.

It is to be understood that the float lever may be a straight rod, although we have, forv convenience in the present instance, illustrated it as bent into ogee form. Other Aminor details may be changed at will withking an annular chamber surrounding the discharge end of said nipple provided with a central openingat the top and discharge L openings in its bottoni, a sleeve integral with vsaid, cap extending downwardly therefrom f and slidably engaging said n1pple'a n annular shoulder around said top opening, a

gasket itting said top opening and seated on said shoulder, a plug threaded in said cap and adapted to secure said gasket, a lever having a forked end spanning and ful-` crumed upon the water supply element, a oat carried by the opposite end of the lever, and linkspivoted respectively to the forked end of the lever and to said cap at dialnetn rically opposite points on the same, said gasket beingadapted to close the opening of the nipple upon said lever being operated,

In testimony whereof we our signatures.

ROBERT R. SHAFFER. [L s] JAMES F. SHAFFER. [n s] 

